China-Africa Tourism Data Report 2018

On September 3, the China Tourism Academy, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Data Center, Ctrip.com, Mafengwo.com, Jingyu Group and other tourism big data joint laboratories jointly released the China-Africa Tourism Data Report 2018. The report shows that the number of people entering and leaving China and Africa has remained stable in the past three years, reaching 1.426 million in 2017. The number of Chinese citizens traveling to Africa through major travel agencies has increased rapidly, and tourism is becoming the vanguard of cultural exchanges between China and Africa.

1. Tourism’s contribution to China-Africa bilateral exchanges is becoming more and more evident

In recent years, the personnel exchanges between China and Africa have become increasingly frequent. China has surpassed the United States to become Africa's largest trading partner for nine consecutive years, and Africa has also become an increasingly popular outbound tourism destination for Chinese tourists. According to statistics, the number of people entering and leaving China and Africa has remained basically stable in the past three years. In 2017, the number of bilateral visits between China and Africa reached 1.426 million, of which 797,800 were Chinese tourists to Africa and 628,300 were African tourists to China. The number of people traveling to Africa through major travel agencies has increased rapidly. In 2017, the number of people traveling to Africa through the Ctrip platform increased by nearly 60% year-on-year; from January to July 2018, the number of people traveling to Africa increased by more than 70% year-on-year; air ticket orders for business trips to Africa accounted for 15% of the total orders to Africa, an increase of more than 50% over the same period last year, and corresponding business inbound orders from Africa to China also increased by more than 30%.

2. Visa benefits and increased air routes boost tourism to Africa

"Traveling with a visa" is becoming increasingly prominent. Since Morocco in North Africa implemented a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens in June 2016, the number of Chinese tourists to Morocco has risen rapidly. According to statistics, the number of Chinese citizens' first-stop outbound trips to Morocco increased by 207% year-on-year in 2016 and 99% year-on-year in 2017. In June 2017, Ethiopia implemented electronic visas for Chinese tourists. In the same year, the number of Chinese citizens' first-stop outbound trips to Ethiopia increased by 96.1% year-on-year, and in the first half of 2018, the number of Chinese tourists increased by 82.5% year-on-year. Ethiopia squeezed into the list of the top 40 outbound destinations for Chinese citizens in 2017 and the first half of 2018 for the first time. The visa policies of other African countries for Chinese tourists are also becoming increasingly convenient. Both individuals and groups traveling to Egypt can apply for visas on arrival, Mauritius, Seychelles and Tunisia are visa-free, Kenya has electronic visas, and Tanzania has visas on arrival. Data from Mafengwo Travel Network also shows that Morocco, Mauritius, Egypt, Seychelles, South Africa, Kenya, Tunisia and other countries have risen fastest in popularity, among which Morocco is the most prominent.

The increasing number of routes and improved aviation infrastructure have made it easier for tourists to travel to Africa. In recent years, the number of China-Africa routes has continued to increase, and tourists can book routes from China to more than 400 airports in Africa. Beijing/Shanghai/Chengdu-Addis Ababa, Guangzhou-Nairobi, Beijing-Johannesburg, Chengdu-Ethiopia, etc. are all direct flights to Africa. In August this year, a new direct flight from Wuhan to Mauritius was added, which is also the first passenger route from central my country to Africa.

3. Family travel is the main force of tourism to Africa

According to statistics, business travel, sightseeing and leisure, and conferences are the main purposes of traveling to Africa, and young and middle-aged people are the main customer groups. According to data from the Ctrip platform, people born in the 1980s and 1970s are the mainstream, accounting for 45%; 59% of tourists choose to travel in groups, and 41% of tourists choose to travel independently or customize tours. Africa has become the only choice for couples and lovers to go on honeymoons and romantic vacations, accounting for 29%. Parent-child travel and travel with parents are gradually favored by tourists, accounting for 18% and 10% respectively. Another 14% of users choose to travel alone and enjoy their own travel time in Africa.

Spending more time in Africa is the only choice for most tourists. Data from Ctrip Group and Lvmama Group show that more than 50% of tourists stay in Africa for 7-10 days, and tourists generally stay in Africa for a longer time.

Data source: Jingyu Group

4. East Africa becomes a new “internet celebrity summer resort”

Africa has charming scenery and rich regional customs. Egypt has many historical and cultural landscapes and is well-known. Mauritius is an island, suitable for honeymoons, mostly for young couples. Morocco has prominent religious and cultural characteristics, and city sightseeing is very popular. South Africa's natural scenery is quite attractive, whether it is Cape Town or the Garden Route, the scenery is picturesque and the climate is suitable.

The best time to travel varies from country to country. Kenya has a large animal migration from July to August, which is the busiest season. Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia in North Africa have a pleasant climate from November to April, which is the peak tourist season. Egypt only has two opportunities to see the divine light each year, and the October flight schedule happens to catch one of them. Ctrip's order data shows that the continued high temperatures in many parts of China this year have boosted "summer escape flights", and air ticket orders to Africa in August increased fourfold, making Africa a new "Internet celebrity summer resort." Take Kenya as an example. Although it is located near the equator, the high altitude makes the temperature pleasant all year round, with the lowest average temperature of 17 degrees throughout the year, making it suitable for summer escape.

5. First-tier cities are the main travel destinations, while second- and third-tier cities have the fastest growth

Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are the top three source cities for tourists traveling to Africa. According to Ctrip platform order data, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Kunming, Chongqing, Wuhan, Xi'an, and Hangzhou were also shortlisted for the top 10 departure cities. The enthusiasm of residents in second- and third-tier cities to travel to Africa continues to rise. The top 10 cities with the fastest growth are Nanjing, Changshu, Changsha, Nanchang, Zhengzhou, Harbin, Suzhou, Fuzhou, Dalian, and Xiamen.

Data source: Ctrip.com

Cairo and Port Louis are the most popular. Ctrip's outbound travel data shows that Cairo, Port Louis, Casablanca, Johannesburg, Luxor, Mahe Island, Aswan, Nairobi, Cape Town and Hurghada are the top ten popular destinations for Chinese tourists to travel to Africa in the first half of this year.

Data source: Ctrip.com

6. The average per capita spending on tourism to Africa is high, with Shanghai tourists being the most expensive

Tourists traveling to Africa spend more. According to data from the Ctrip platform, Shanghai tourists spent the most per capita at 12,034 yuan, followed by Beijing and Chongqing at 11,978 and 10,867 yuan, respectively. Mafengwo data shows that the average outbound spending of Chinese tourists in Morocco is 15,428 yuan, and tourists who spend 10,000-20,000 yuan account for 66%. On an annual basis, the average per capita spending of tourists in Africa has also increased year by year. According to data from the Lvmama platform, the average per capita spending of Chinese tourists traveling to Africa during the summer vacations of 2016, 2017 and 2018 was 10,080 yuan, 13,215 yuan and 24,803 yuan, respectively.

Data source: Ctrip.com

7. Tourism bears witness to the traditional friendship between China and Africa; tourists look forward to Chinese and mobile services

The local residents in Africa are generally friendly to Chinese tourists. According to the monitoring data of the outbound tourism service quality of 102 countries in the world by the National Tourism Economics Laboratory of the China Tourism Academy, the friendly attitude of tourists towards the local residents in African countries and the high ratings of scenic spots are the two indicators that tourists perceive best and have the highest scores. The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Red-roofed Church in Mauritius, the Koutoubia Mosque in Morocco, the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, and the Great Rift Valley in Kenya are the most highly rated tourist attractions in the Ctrip Guide Community. In addition, the accommodation services in South Africa and Morocco are good, with high evaluation scores, and the quality of catering, travel agencies and reservation services is also good.

Monitoring data also shows that low cost-performance, irregular tourism industry management, online booking, shopping and other indicators affect Chinese tourists' perception of the service quality of African countries. Difficulties in mobile payment and online booking, lack of Chinese services, poor internal management of scenic spots, and some scenic spots deceiving tourists are common. Although 50 countries and regions in Africa currently accept UnionPay cards, with an overall acceptance coverage rate of 75%, tourists generally expect mobile payment based on the consumption habits of young customers born in the 1980s and 1990s.

According to the monitoring data of the National Tourism Economic Laboratory, in the first half of 2018, the tourism service quality of three destinations, Mauritius (82.80), South Africa (81.08) and Egypt (80.14), was relatively good, while the service quality of Morocco (79.71), Seychelles (79.29), Kenya (78.14), Tunisia (76.32), Tanzania (75.66) and Namibia (75.20) was at an average level. Among the 102 sample countries monitored, Mauritius ranked 7th, South Africa ranked 17th, and the rest were outside the top 30. The overall service quality was slightly lower than the average level of 102 countries and regions in the world.

Data source: National Tourism Economics Laboratory

Ranking of service quality evaluation for Chinese tourists traveling to Africa in the first half of 2018

Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism Data Center, Ctrip.com, Mafengwo.com, Jingyu Group

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